Electric switches of the shock-operated type



March 27, 1956 R. A. RICHARDSON 2,740,010

ELECTRIC SWITCHES OF THE SHOCK-OPERATED TYPE Filed Jan. 11, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l h I l/N H H n w MM Ra r m 9W 2 N1 a JP T g. W w M M y March 1956 R. A. RICHARDSON 2,740,010

ELECTRIC SWITCHES OF THE SHOCK-OPERATED TYPE Filed Jan. 11, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

2a 5.5 POLAND 44. PJC/MBMQA/ "WM L J United States Patent 2,740,010 ELECTRIC SWITCHES OF THE SHOCK-OPERATED TYPE Roland A. Richardson, Rochester, Pa. Application January 11, 1955, Serial No. 481,109 4 Claims. (Cl. 200-6153) My invention relates to electric switches of the inertial or shock-operated type and will be particularly useful on motor vehicles, so that when a vehicle is in a collision or wreck, either in a fore-and-aft direction or sidewise, the ignition circuit will be broken and an alarm circuit closed, to call attention to the victims plight and to bring assistance.

One object of my invention is to provide a safety device of the character referred to that is of simple form and which is more sensitive to shocks in one direction than in the other. For example, it will be operated more readily when a vehicle tilts sidewise than as a result of shocks in a fore-and-aft direction, thereby preventing undesired operation through sudden stops and starts of the vehicle or minor collisions.

Another object of my invention is to provide a control device of the character referred to, operated by a shiftable weight or inertial force, wherein provision is made for avoiding accidental operation through minor changes in position of the weight or other operating member.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view of the apparatus in side elevation;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the lower casing of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the weighted member of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view of the structure of Fig.1;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the upper casing member of Fig. 1;

' Fig. 6 is a side elevational view thereof;

Fig. 7 is a view of the electrical contact-carrying member of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 9 shows a modification of the shiftable weight member of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 10 shows a wiring diagarm with which the switch may be employed.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 8, the apparatus comprises a lower casing member 12 that will be mounted in a motor vehicle or the like, in any convenient place. This contains a shiftable weight 13 that is grooved in its peripheral edge to provide seats for springs 14 and 15 that are anchored to studs 16 near the four corners of the casing. The block has a central depression at 17 to support a ball 18.

A casing 20 is mounted upon the casing 12 and has a hole through its bottom wall that is surrounded by an upstanding flange or .rib 21 which surrounds the hole and the upper portion of the ball. As the weight 31 shifts through thrusts in horizontal directions, the ball 18 will be raised through a camming action by the sloping wall of the recess 17 in the upper face of the block 13.

The raising of the ball rocks a bell-crank member 22 about a fulcrum point at 23 where a bent tongue 24 carried thereby has seating engagement with an edge 24a of a bracket plate 25. A pair of springs 26 yieldably retain the switch-carrying member 22 seated against 24a and in an over-center condition when it is in either its upper position or its lower position.

The rocker 22 carries a switch arm 27 which, in turn, carries a movable contact member 28. The members 27 and 28 are of flexible material, so that by slight vibrations will not disengage the contact member 28 from stationary contact members 29 that form part of an ignition circuit 30.

When a shock occurs that is sutficiently severe to make it important to break the ignition circuit 30, the ball 18 will be projected upwardly to rock the switch-carrying crank 22 upwardly about the fulcrum 24a, to thereby move the contact member 28 into position to bridge the stationary contact members 31 of an alarm circuit 32. This movement serves to carry the springs 26 to the opposite over-center position past the fulcrum 24a and thereby causes the alarm circuit to be held closed. This alarm circuit can be used to control signal lights or horns, and may also contain a vibrating switch 33, to rapidly and automatically make and break the alarm circuit.

The springs 14 are under different tensional stress or of different strength and the springs 15, so that when the casing 20 through its mounting holes 34 is connected to a convenient place on a motor vehicle, the springs 14, if stronger than the springs 15, will be positioned in a foreand-aft direction, so that greater force will be required to operate the switch through shocks in that direction than in sidewise shocks where the weight will operate more readily against the tension of the springs 15.

In Fig. 9, I show the weight or inertial element that operates the switch as comprising a block member 37 and a shell 36, the latter being yieldably held in a neutral position by the springs 15 and 16, as in Fig. 2. The block 37 is yieldably held in centralized position relative to the shell 36 by weak springs 38 at the sides and ends thereof, so that slight movements of the weight 37 will not be imparted to the shell 36, but movements of sufiicient intensity to require operation of the signal device will be transmitted through solid compression of the small springs 38.

I claim as my invention:

1. Safety switch apparatus of the inertia type comprising a weight member mounted for shifting in rectilinear directions which are .in relatively crosswise relation, a

ing of the weight from a neutral position, in any direction, and springs that respectively yieldably offer greater resistance to movement by the weight in one direction than in a direction transverse thereto.

2. Apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the weight is of circular form, in a horizontal plane and is yieldably held in its neutral position by a rectangular framework of coil springs that extend into the groove and are anchored at their ends.

3. Safety switch apparatus comprising a weight disc having a central tapered depression, means for supporting the weight in a horizontal plane, a rectangular arrangement of coil springs anchored at their ends and encompassing the disc, to yieldably hold it in a neutral position, a ball in the depression and protruding upwardly therefrom, a rocker arm above the weight in position to be engaged by the ball when the ball is raised, stationary guide means above the weight and below the rocker arm to prevent horizontal movement of the ball and direct it against the underside of the rocker arm when the ball is raised through horizontal shifting of the weight, and electric switches operated by the rocker arm.

4. Safety apparatus of the inertia type comprising a weight member mounted for shifting in horizontal rectilinear directions, a shell surrounding the weight, in spaced relation to its vertical walls, a rectangular framework of ammow springs encompassing the shell and anchored at their ends, relatively weaker springs interposed between the inner wall of the shell and the weight, an electric switch, and an operative connection between the weight member and the switch, whereby the switch :is operated through shifting of the weight and its shell from centralized :position with respect to the first-named springs.

4 References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,411,298 Osborn Apr. 4, 1922 5 1,662,979 Nelson Mar. 20, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS 848,419 France Oct. 3, 1939 

